The Raven and the Eagle
by painofwhiteclaudia
Summary: Set in an AU, Desmond finds himself with a powerful new ally that has ties with him from the past. Shaun thinks that there is more to this than it seems. Des x OC Ezio X OC ON HOLD  sorry!
1. Prologue: Ombre di un alleato dimenti

Title: The Raven and The Eagle

Author: Painofthewhiteclaudia aka Malicewithalice

Rating: M (for future)

Summary: Set in an AU, Desmond finds himself with a powerful new ally that has ties with him from the past. Shaun thinks that there is more to this than it seems. Des x OC Eizo X OC

_**Prologue: Ombre di un alleato dimenticato**_

Café Angelo's rich cream coloured walls and espresso scented air caused the tension to melt away a small amount of Shaun Hastings' unwanted stress. The brunette British man looked up to see Desmond finally putting their orders with the barista, which caused his eyebrow to arch slightly when she rolled her eyes. Apparently, Desmond was attempting to flirt with her, but it had failed. He was going to make this the final stop of the wasted day. Shopping was a time waster in Shaun's eyes, but he had to suffer since he literally drew the short straw between himself, Lucy and Rebecca. After the various clothing stores and street venders, he had enough and just walked in the first place he noticed that didn't deal with clothing in any way. His silent fuming was broken by the smell of his latte, a treat from Desmond for putting up with the torture. "Sorry, that it had to be you, Shaun." Desmond's voice sounded sincere in the apology. "I was hoping that Lucy would have just come along so I could talk about something."

"And I should care why?" Shaun silenced himself with a sip of his drink, noting the nutty flavor of the roasted coffee beans. "If you needed to talk to Lucy, then you should have just said so."

"I tried, but she didn't listen. I think that I stumbled upon another ally." Desmond took a sip of his sweetened coffee then put the cup down, as if he was waiting for a dramatic response from Shaun. "There is another piece of the puzzle that we are not seeing here, and she might be it."

"A 'She'? What the fuck are you thinking, Desmond?" That was it: he was going to kill the boy in his sleep once they made it back to the compound. He leaned over the table and answered in a deadly hiss, "You are putting us in even more danger."

"She didn't glow red."

The statement threw him off just enough to stop killing the poor bastard right there. Leaning back into the chair, he sighed. "What colour?"

"Blue, she glowed blue."

"I am going to kill you when we get back home, Desmond."

"Give her a chance, Shaun. I..." Desmond was distracted by a woman with shoulder length raven hair entering the establishment. The barista on duty smiled and waved, clearly marking her as either a regular or the owner. Her overall appearance screamed of professionalism, so Shaun was guessing the latter. While being, Desmond guessed about 5'4" tall; she was toned and lean but still had curves that would make men trip all over themselves. Both of them noticed that she carried herself differently from anyone else. The aura of power she displayed wasn't like anything either of the men had seen. Despite nervous air that appeared, Desmond pulled out a chair for her. "I would like you to meet Aria."

"And does Aria have a last name?"

"I do and it is del Leone." Aria cut in, sitting next to Desmond. Crossing a gray silk trouser covered leg, she couldn't help but smile. "I hope that you are enjoying the latte. I do take pride in my little establishment."

"It's delicious. Forgive me, but are we safe here?"

"Yes, you are always welcomed here. The Templar Knights are not, and they tend to avoid this district by all means possible." She smiled at Shaun, her eyes narrowed slightly. She slowly let her smile drop which caused her blue eyes to darken. "I will tell you more once I meet with your leader, Lucy."

Shaun's lips drew into a thin line, but he didn't say anything else. As forty million questions raced through his head, words started to fail him. He ran a hand through his short brunette hair, knowing what might happen next. "Is there any message that I should give to her?"

"Yes." She handed Shaun a disk. "You might want to look at it as well. I have read your theories about the events of the world, and I will admit that I am impressed. Sadly, even you found yourself dealing with some serious holes in events. The usage of Genetic Memory isn't one hundred percent reliable."

Desmond suddenly felt a chill from the stare down that he was currently caught between. "So, I guess that I will see you later then, Aria?" He sighed a bit, after they broke off contact. He knew that Shaun was clearly unnerved by her, even though the Brit was trying to hide it.

"You know where to find me, Desmond. You always have." She leaned over and gave him a quick kiss on the cheek. After that, she stood up and walked to her office behind the café's coffee bar. Shaun had enough of everything at this point.

"Desmond Miles, so help me God, that I. DON'T. KILL. YOU." His voice was barely a whisper, but it didn't escape the intended target. "What the hell did you get us into?"

"I will explain once we get back to the compound." With that remark, Desmond stood up and picked up his bags, leaving a dumbfounded Shaun behind.


	2. 1: Morte da sopra, inferno da sotto

_Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Assassins from Assassin's Creed, that is Ubisoft. I do however own Aria and her respected sisters._

_Please R&R!  
_

**Chapter 1: Morte da sopra, inferno da sotto.**

Night settled across the city as Café Angelo buzzed with life well into the midnight hour. Shaun found himself again out of the compound, but this time with Lucy Stillman who was attempting a conversation. While she went on about Desmond's attitude shift, she realized that he wasn't even paying attention to a word that she has been saying. "Hey, Earth to Shaun. Are you listening to anything that I have been saying for the past ten minutes?" She wanted to wave her hand in front of his face, but she knew that he was deep in thought about something. "So what do you think is the cause of Desmond's sudden change?"

"He met a woman." Shaun said so off hand, it looked like she was going to throw her cappuccino at him. He simply lifted his eyebrow at this then continued. "When he used his Eagle Vision while scouting the area, she was blue… or at least that is what he tells me. The message was from her and she seems to be very hostile to the Templars."

Leaning back in her chair, Lucy mulled this new bit of information over. Shaun smirked as she chewed her lip slightly then leaned forwards with a bit of a glint in her eyes. "Well have you run your background check on her to make sure she wasn't pulling the wool over our eyes?"

He handed her a thin manila folder with everything that she needed to see. "I found out that part of the reason why she is hostile to the Templars is that they murdered her family as a means to recruit her. Also turns out, while I was pulling up her family tree, there is a connection to Desmond through the means of Ezio."

She didn't know what to say at this point as she looked over the history and other over detailed notes that he took of Aria del Leone. Lucy sighed softly as she took a sip of her drink after closing the folder. As much as she trusted Shaun and Desmond, this doesn't bring them any closer to preventing the Templars from getting the Pieces of Eden. After dealing with Abstergo, this was a rather large risk to take for the Assassins. The aftermath and subsequent attacks on their various hidden compounds made her leery of any new alliances. It had taken Shaun a good six hours to convince her to come to the little café and even then the unease was still there. Not that Shaun could blame her in that regards, but after meeting with Aria and listening to the message, he knew that he had to convince Lucy into a meeting.

"Shaun, I don't think that she is going to come this late." Lucy stated bitterly as she lifted the cup to her lips. Closing her eyes, she sighed before taking in more of the caffeinated beverage. The sound of a chair scrapping on the floor next to her caused her eyes to snap open. Putting down the cup, she glanced over to the intruder only to be taken aback by the woman next to her. Shaun had given her a hand shake, surprising Lucy with rare smile. "Um Hello, you must be Aria."

"And you must be Lucy. It is an honor to meet the woman who helped save Desmond's life." Aria smiled gently even though a flash of pain betrayed how she really felt. Her blue eyes closed briefly in attempt to calm her pulse. "Forgive my lateness. I had to deal with a minor problem." Shaun simply arched an eyebrow, while Lucy tried to ease the internal panic that was rising in her chest. They jumped to the conclusion that it had to deal with Templars. A cloud of unease settled around the table that was quickly dispelled by her action. Putting a book on the table, Aria sighed softly. "This was the minor problem: a diary of Leonardo di Vinci involving Ezio."

"How the fuck did you manage to get that?" His voice was clam, but the tone held surprise and respect. The diary was an information goldmine, but at what cost? As much as he hated to admit, Aria was slowly growing him since she was the one keeping Desmond busy and out of his way. With the pain that she was obviously in, he felt a pang of guilt. Lucy gently touched her shoulder only to have her wince away.

"You're injured. Over what? A diary of an artist." Lucy stated calmly as she attempted to get wrap her thoughts around everything. "You took quiet the beating."

"That is the understatement of the year. Turns out that the Templars don't like theft, but I did this because of something that Desmond told me last night." Shifting a bit of uncomfortably, Aria relaxed slightly when she saw Lucy's eyes narrow slightly. "It is about the 'corrupted' memories. I told him that genetic memory is a bit tricky and that I would get this for him. I am sure that will help with them."

"What do you know about genetic memories?" The question was laced with skepticism and venom, but it was the blonde's field of specialty. The answer she received caused her jaw to drop.

"Miss Stillman, I am familiar with genetic memory. We are built on genes of the generations before us, giving us abilities from generations before. In the case of the Assassins, the skills of observation and movement are often breed throughout of the ages. The memories that are passed with those skills are often taught as well, but often on an instinctual level. Through the technology of Animus, you were able to tap into the memories, but you never mastered on accessing a specific memory. Often a visual prompt or audio clue helps unlock what Animus considers a corrupt memory."

"It seems that you have had an encounter with Animus." She thought for a moment and chose her words carefully. "You are you speaking of the attack in Romania?"

"Yes. I was the one that they were working on. The use of Animus wasn't limited to the London branch of Abstergo. Ei sunt proşti să cred că pot câştiga împotriva puterilor de a fi." Lucy looked slightly confused in the fact that Aria spoke Romanian. Shaun quickly translated it to be something along the lines that she was stating that the Templars were complete idiots for messing with the Pieces of Eden. "Forgive me. When they captured me, I was only 20. Being strapped to a machine against your will wasn't fun at all. The team in Romania didn't have many resources for information and tended to keep their prisoners longer. They were the first to learn about the devastating effects that Animus had on the human mental state as well as physiological damage. Two hour sessions during the week, and tests for the bleeding effect were to always follow."

Lucy knew about these tests first hand, but she couldn't find out why the London branch didn't heed their colleagues warning. If they did, Subject 16 wouldn't have gone completely insane and committed the murder suicide. "The Bleeding Effect wasn't that well documented at all when the London branch..." The seemingly random comment disturbed Shaun. "If only I pushed Vidic into limiting the sessions with 16."

"Guilt won't bring him back, Lucy." Weariness had crept into the confidence of Aria, a sign of a connection to the man that she had known simply as Subject 16. "John was already unstable after the escape in Romania. By that time, the researchers were being forced to keep us linked to Animus for extended periods. The reason why they didn't pursue me is that one of the head researchers deemed my memories unimportant. What they didn't know is that most of the answers were staring them in the face."

Shaun bit his bottom lip slightly, and looked over at Lucy. Her eyebrows creased slightly then relaxed as she took in this bit of information. "It won't hurt to try. How long have you been exposed to the Animus."

"Four years. I didn't really feel the effects of Animus like some of the others."

"Then… come with us." Lucy offered her a hand as a peace offering of sorts. She could use the information about protecting the rest of the Pieces of Eden from their apparent common enemy. "I don't know if we can protect you as well as here though."

"Have you ever thought of moving into this area? You wouldn't have to worry about attacks from Templars. They avoid this section of town like their life depends on it."

"We will think about it." With that, Lucy stood up and walked to the entrance waiting for Shaun. He sighed heavily, only to have the diary pushed into his chest. Looking down at the journal, he knew that he wasn't going to get away with not taking it. Aria's face looked fatigued but, pleased at the same time when they left. As far as she could tell, they would accept her offer. It was time to put together their new home.

An new ally so willing to put her life in danger for a book? Where will this lead? PLEASE R&R!


	3. 2: Correre come libero come un Uccello

Disclaimer: Still don't own Assassin's Creed or Ubisoft for that matter.

Author's Notes: Woooo Hoooo! A double post. Mainly because this chapter was HUGE! So I broke it up into two chapters kinda explain what Lucy's initial reaction to the news of Desmond wanting them to work with Aria and give a bit of a background of the "minor problem" of getting Leonardo's diary. Totally taking historical liberties here, so nah, its fan fiction. XD

OH AND REVIEW! I WANT TO KEEP WRITING THIS THING BECAUSE IT IS FUN!

**Chapter 2: Correre come libero come un Uccello**

_Eight hours before the meeting at Café Angelo: _

Desmond had pulled everyone into the kitchen as if he had something major to announce. Rebecca Crane sat down in one of the chairs with her arms resting on the table, while Shaun sat next to her with his leg over the other. What the programmer misinterpreted as look of anger, the historian simple felt like he was owed an explanation. Lucy was the last to arrive and took a seat next to Desmond.

"Are you okay, Desmond?" Her voice broke the odd silence that had settled over the group. She nervously picked at the sleeve of her sweater.

"I met someone that could help us beat the Templars a while back while I was scouting the area." He was waiting for someone, anyone, to say something about this, but no one did. "Her name is Aria del Leone and she owns a café not too far from here."

"So… what you are saying that there is another group that the Templars don't like here?" Rebecca couldn't keep herself quiet. "I am sure that they are our enemy as well."

"Well, she glowed blue when I used the Eagle Vision. No one outside of here has done that."

"Uh huh, and I am the Queen of England." Rebecca was rewarded with a rough nudge from Shaun. "What, I am just saying that it could possible she could have fooled you."

"I don't think that is possible, Rebecca." He looked up at Desmond. "The Eagle Vision has proven itself time after time."

"But…"

"Rebecca that is enough. Let Desmond finish." Lucy cut the argument before it even started. She looked leery with this idea, but Desmond looked rather determined. "What did she have to offer?"

"Sanctuary from the Templars." He moved into a more comfortable position in the kitchen chair. "She told me that she could help me gain access to the corrupted memories."

"Wait? You told her about the Animus?" Lucy was in disbelief at this statement. "You put us in danger because your… your needs."

"I didn't tell her right out. She kinda figured it out on her own." He rubbed the back of his head. "Hey Shaun, don't forget about the disc."

Fishing the disc out of his pocket, he nudged Rebecca again. "Hey, get your laptop out."

"And if I don't?" She retorted bitterly, as she stood.

"I could tell them about the…"

"I am getting the damn thing, you perv." She calmly kicked the chair from under Shaun as she went to retrieve the laptop from the living room. The crash was deafening, but all Shaun suffered from was a sore bum and a slightly bruised ego. As he righted the chair, he made a mental note that she really was related to Rosa and straighten his glasses slightly.

"I am not going to even ask what she has that you threatened to blackmail her with." Lucy sighed as she rubbed her temples. "Anyway, Desmond, you said that Shaun met her today?"

"Yeah, that is how we got the disc." Desmond sighed as Rebecca returned at this point with her trusted laptop. As the thin black box booted up, she grabbed the disc from Shaun's hands. Whatever he was using to blackmail her was important enough to cause her to act amusingly hostile to him. Once the OS completely booted up, she put the disc into the DVD tray and pushed into the system. It took a few moments to load and they were greeted with familiar Creed symbol. She clicked on it, and the video started to play.

The image of a lab flashed up briefly on the screen then it focused on a woman with raven coloured hair laying flat on a table with an Animus above her. The image cut away to a much calmer Subject 16, his eyes glancing over his shoulder from time to time. "The key to everything is right here and they don't even know it." The picture suddenly faded to white with the symbol slowly reappearing. Shaun caught some of the hidden message in the coding, but waiting for the rest of the message to finish. 16's voice started again, only this time the paranoid edge is there. "They are separating us. Something is wrong. Why are they moving me to London? I hope that the Order fucks their shit up so badly here. They can't kill the key." A loud audio hiss came from the speakers afterwards, the screen going black.

"What the hell was that?" Rebecca stated in disbelief. "What is the Order?"

"I only caught something when the symbol appeared a second time. 16 put clues into the video, but I think that we should talk to Aria about this." Shaun pushed his glasses back onto the bridge of his nose, studying Desmond's face. "It is apparent that your girlfriend is in that video. But why would she give us this type of information?"

"She trusts us with keeping that type of information out of the hands of the Templars…" Desmond replied only to be cut off by Lucy.

"Or she could be trying to lure us into some kind of trap. I never heard of the Order, but from what I can tell, she most likely won't reveal that kind of information to us at all." Lucy's bottom lip suddenly became the victim of being chewed on while she was in thought. "Shaun, I want you to go over the video with Rebecca. Desmond, we need to talk now." She stood and walked out to the living room. Falling onto one of the overstuffed leather chairs, she glared at the brunette as he walked in with his hands stuffed into the pockets of his hoodie. "You are in so much shit with me right now, Desmond."

"Look, I know that you are pissed off at me, but this is important. We don't have much time with finding the apple." He started to pace back and forth a bit, only to stop. "She does have a tie to Ezio and the thing is that we need to find exactly how close she was with him. I have seen a face very similar to hers in some of the sequences, and you can't say that is just pure coincidence."

In the other room, Rebecca couldn't help but press her ear against the closed door. "Wow, they are really going at it."

"Do you blame her for being so upset with him?" The cool reply came as did her sigh. "I did meet her and she was honest about everything she said."

"Then you should have told Lucy about it." She stood away from the door, then grabs Shaun by his shirt. "You go out there now before she starts throwing your books at him." Without any more prompting, he left to break up the yelling match between Lucy and Desmond. Rebecca returned to her laptop looking rather innocent when an unease silence washed over the compound. Before everyone returned, she had pulled up the second symbol literally tracking it frame by frame. Sure enough, it looked like 16 had put in enough information in there that they wouldn't go into any situation blind. Information about what was really going on at the Romanian branch of Abstergo almost made her ill. The experimentation on those who were either shipped from London or Paris was often brutal, and in most cases, lethal. Some of the subjects were captured in Romania often survived their counterparts due to the fact that they were treated to tightly controlled sessions with the Animus.

Her head snapped up as a much calmer Lucy entered the room. Concern replaced the look of anger when she sat down from her brunette counterpart. "Rebecca, are you okay?"

"16 left some pretty disturbing information. I would go check this girl out."

"Well, Desmond believes in her, I might as well go and try… after I help Shaun clean up the living room."

"How bad is the damage?"

"Not too bad this time. Desmond pretty much stormed into his room a few minutes after Shaun walked in. No books or vases were harmed this time around. Only causality was a throw pillow that hit Shaun square in the face."

"Feel sorry for the pillow. Anyway, I am going to bed myself. I will see what Shaun and I can glean from this craziness tomorrow."

"I think that I am going to rearrange the living room." Lucy said before she left the kitchen. Rebecca knew that this was her way of saying that 'I am going to go think' and closed her laptop. She silently hoped that she would take up the offer of going to meet with this Aria person.


	4. 3: Il Corvo e Il Tigre

Disclaimer: So, yeah, Ubisoft, I am sorry, but I am not making any money off of this. Yeah, so... ya can't sue.

Author's Notes: I want to thank all my readers out there... who don't review! Love ya guys, but I would like some feedback. I don't like writing seeming weak female characters, and yeah, I can kick your ass while wearing heels. I know that there is a bit of a time loop going on here, but I wasn't too happy without having a kick ass action scene and a bit of background. This is very much sibling rivalry inspired, so I should thank my dad for enrolling me and my brother into martial arts class. Oh and I will be taking a great deal of historical liberties.

**Chapter 3: **Il Corvo e Il Tigre

_Abstergo Hub #47, two hours before the Meeting at Café Angelo:_

Chaos bloomed in the darkness as power was suddenly cut off. Being an information storage hub for Templar run company, they knew that they would run the risked of encountering an attack from the Assassins. This attack didn't fit well with the way that the Assassins worked as far as the head of security knew, and it put Giorgio on edge. The last time that he encountered this type of an attack was when he was stationed at Romania. That event was two years ago, but it still haunted him to this day.

His eyes suddenly focused on a woman that seemed out of place of the flow of chaos. She was heading towards the library, calmly dodging the panicked researchers as they rushed by. Ignoring all safety protocol, he rushed to cut her off. Whatever was in that room, he wasn't going to allow her to obtain it and that notion caused him to move double time. Barking orders to three of his men that stayed behind, they moved along with him. Thinking that they were too late, he heard clapping from one of the desks to their left.

"Impressive, Giorgio. Foarte cuvîntare." Honey-toned feminine voice floated from the darkness. "I have to admit that you responded quicker than I originally thought."

The hair on the back of his neck stood on end at the statement. He knew that voice, but he thought that she had been killed during the raid two years. "Tu trebiue a fi un strigoi!" The sound of the chair moving sound deafening to the four Templars in the room.

"Sir?" The guard to his left tensed slightly when he could see the movement in the darkness. "Shall we shoot?"

"No. Leave me be. Just make sure she doesn't get through that door." The three men didn't dare to question his order and stationed themselves outside the only logical entrance to the library. The windows, he felt, were too high for her to pull any stunt like that. "You should be dead. I shot you that night."

"And I have the bullet wound to prove that you did so." She moved around the desk then leaned against it. The moonlight highlighting her relaxed stance, he knew that it was all a ruse to let his guard down. "You know, Giorgio, you almost had me going with joining the Templars."

"Aria, you can still join us." He couldn't believe the words that left his lips. "You don't have to go and get yourself killed."

"Ah, but I am already dead! You said that yourself!" The venom was heavy in her words. "You could have killed me that night, but you didn't. You missed on purpose, tu domn bătrîn."

"Calling me an old man now?" He couldn't help but start to laugh, though it was cut short with a fist to his stomach. "Then I will show you what an 'old man' can do." Retaliating with a left hook of his own, he smirked when he heard her gasp as he made contact with her ribs. Even in the pale light of the moon, he found her to be beautiful when she was in pain. Her eyes narrowed at his look as she brought her knee swiftly into his groin. The groan he made was very satisfying in its own right, but a fight with him wasn't why she was here. It gave her enough of a chance to push him away from her.

"Where is the diary, Giorgio?" She circled the gasping man, keeping an eye on him at all times. "I didn't come here looking to fight you or your men. I simply wanted to get the diary back."

"You have to go find it." He watched her, but the pain wasn't going anytime soon. She rolled her eyes slightly at this as she slammed her foot against his shoulder laying him flat on his back. "Fucking Bitch!"

"Give me the damn diary." She moved to strike again, but he countered by sweeping her feet from under her. Her cry of pain wasn't loud, but he could hear it as he slowly rose to his feet. As she struggled to breathe, he landed a swift kick to her ribcage as he now circled her writhing body. "I… don't want to fight…"

"Really, now?" He leaned over her, his boot pressing down on her shoulder. "You want the diary?" He grinned at her cry in pain. "Then you have to fight me for it. I haven't forgotten who you are, Aria."

"Of course the traitor wouldn't forget his own kind." She spat out, only to be violently pulled up by her jacket. "Did I hit a nerve?"

"NEVER CALL ME A TRAITOR!" Giorgio growled violently. "Without me, they wouldn't have found you, deget mic unul." His right fist slammed itself into her stomach as he dropped her. "Your precious diary has no answers. You are chasing ghosts, deget mic unul." He watched her hold her stomach, her head down, but he could tell there was a smile upon her lips. "What is it?"

"If it didn't hurt to laugh right now, I will be howling like a wolf." She managed to say without betray the pain she felt right now. "You still don't understand is going to happen if the Templars complete this shit. You have corrupted yourself with Templar ideals." She started to move towards a large desk in the back of the room, her graceful retreat ruined by pain. Moving quickly, he quickly swept her off her feet again then pounced on top of her once she hit the ground. "Even you don't know how the fucking Apple actually works."

Growling again in rage, he slammed his fist hard against her ribs, licking his lips as he felt two cracked slightly under the stress. Not thinking, he reached for a book off of the desk and swung blindly at her head, leaving his chest wide open for an open palm strike. As his body started to seize for the jarring motion of his rib cage, he dropped what turned out to be the diary. Aria didn't want to take the chance of him coming after while she escaped; she did the most sensible thing: bring her knee to his groin yet again. Pushing off her former friend, she struggled to stand due to the injured ribs. Doubting that she killed her old friend, she looked for a means to access the stacks so she could reach the window.

Sighing, she tucked the diary into a holster inside of her jacket, attempting to work quickly to create a suitable place to climb quickly. Jumping seemed to aggravate the injuries even more, but she had to deliver this diary to Desmond, if he had chosen to show up at all. "Uh, I should have gone through Assassin training with my brother." She found herself muttering as she managed to slowly pull herself up on the top of the stacks and broke a window. Frowning at the sound, she threw herself out of it, only to land on her injured shoulder. "Merda!" At this point, shouting could be heard from the library window, as she managed to run to her motorcycle hidden in the brush. Gunning the motor quickly, she took off in the opposite direction to lose her unwanted company. Speeding through traffic lights into her district an hour later, she could help but think to herself, "All this trouble for one little diary."

* * *

What? You honestly thought that I wasn't going to leave you without a translation? I gonna thank Sylva for the Romanian awesome-ness.

**Romanian Translation:**

**Foarte cuvîntare**: Very Speedy

**Tu trebiue a fi un strigoi**: You should be a ghost

**Tu domn bătrîn**: You old man

**Deget mic unul**: Little One


	5. 4: Il Ridente Pedinare

_Disclaimer: Still don't own the IP, but I do own all versions of AC (main console is PS3), have Brotherhood on reserve (need more people to become my fellow assassin brothers on the PS3!), and bunch of action figures that are Ubisoft related. Sorry!_

_A/N: Holy crap! Work has been killing me. Unlike some jobs where you slow down a bit in the summer, mine... well, all I have to say is that I blame Christmas. I have noticed my chapters keep getting longer and longer as well, so go me! I am finally breaking out of that rut that college papers put some of us in. Finals went great! I am going to thank everyone that has been reading this. I promise it will get more interesting as it goes on. I know that I have been building, but we will get to see some animus action in the next chapter! Now Lets boogie and give me some reviews!_

**Chapter 4: Il Ridente Pedinare**

It has been two days since the meeting at Café Angelo, and Rebecca found herself without much to do. Desmond was in and out of the compound so much that she couldn't keep up with him if she tried, while Shaun was engrossed with the diary that the mystery girlfriend gave him. She felt left out in the fact that she was the only one that hasn't met the woman. By this point, she started to plot for a way to escape when Desmond walked into the library with his phone. Deep into his conversation, he failed to realize that she was in the room with him as well until he looked up from the floor. "Well, I guess I can drag someone with me." He smiled weakly at Rebecca as to conversation continued. "Lucy hasn't said much to me other than that we should start packing up. What did you say to her? Oh…OH, well, right. Well, I guess we will see you then. Bye."

"Well, I take it that was your girlfriend?" Rebecca inquired as Desmond looked rather sheepish as he put away his cell. "Where are we going?"

"Huh? Oh, out to eat lunch with her and her brother." Rubbing the back of his head, he knew that she had overheard most of their conversation. "Care to join? Shaun has his nose crammed into the book when he isn't being forced to help Lucy pack."

"Yeah, Why are we moving?" She stood up, stretching her legs a bit before walking out of the room with Desmond. "Are we in danger yet again?"

"Don't know, Lucy mumbled something about an offer in a safer zone or something like that. Aria told me that she had offered one of her buildings to us."

"REALLY? OMG!" She pounced him with enough force to cause him to stumble. Shaun walked in at this sight only to shake his head. "I can't wait to meet her!

"Desmond, where do you think you are going?" Shaun pushed his glasses up the bridge of his nose. His displeased look was evident. "I think that Lucy would like you to start packing up your room."

"Hey, Shaun. You need to get laid." Rebecca broke the tense mood he was attempting to create. "We are gonna be late for lunch!" She quickly grabbed Desmond's left arm and pulled him out of the compound. "Seriously, dude, he needs to find a girlfriend or somebody."

"Agreed. Damn, Becca, you almost pulled my arm out of the socket." He rolled his shoulder to make sure that it wasn't dislocated. "Eh, this is exactly how Ezio felt when Rosa pulled him around."

"Really?"

"Yeah, and she didn't hit like a girl either." He thought for a moment, rubbing his jaw due to phantom pain. "Just don't hit me with a right hook, okay?"

"Well, I can't really guarantee you that." She replied curtly. "Why did she slug him again?"

"Well, he tried to sleep with her."

Rebecca burst out laughing as they kept walking towards the restaurant. He found her presence a bit more comforting than Shaun's because of her youthful outlook in life. It was infectious on everyone else, but the British Historian. It took ten minutes into their journey for a comfortable silence to settle between them. She found herself looking at the ground thinking rather hard. "Do you think that your girlfriend might have the answers we need?"

Taken aback by her serious tone, Desmond nodded. "Yeah, I trust her. I don't know why, but I just do." He ran his hand through his short hair. "The day that I met her, she saved my life. While I was scouting, I got a bit careless and some agents started to follow me. They were good, because I didn't detect them with the vision."

"So, you are telling me that you were that distracted?" She could feel a big sister moment coming, but she quickly shoved the thought back into the box. "What happened to them? It is obvious that they didn't get you."

"As I was walking towards an empty parking lot, she literally came out of nowhere and told me to get behind her."

"Well, that can be taken in five millions ways." She bit her cheek to prevent a fit of giggles. "She must have teleportation powers!"

Desmond laughed as the smaller brunette struck a superhero pose. "Well, she is pretty damn proficient in handling a gun. She nailed them both between the eyes." He pointed to his forefinger between his eyes and with a quick flick of his wrist made it looked like he shot himself. "Then she turns around and looks at me and says 'You are either a member of the order or an assassin. I am betting on Assassin.' I seriously thought that I wasn't going back to the compound right there."

"Wow, she seems to be pretty hardcore." Rebecca found herself tilting her head a bit as they drew near the restaurant. The brick building was only two stories tall, with weathered red brick and large industrial windows. Outside, the patio was filled with customers laughing over food and wine. Business men were busy with their meetings, laughing at the poor jokes. Parents with children were busy cleaning up after them while teens laughed amongst themselves. "Huh, the Il Ridente Pedinare, if my memory is correct, that is Italian for The Laughing Dog. This place is busy! So, what do we do now?"

Desmond pulled out his cell phone, quickly typing in a number. "Hey, we're here. K, so we just tell them that we are with you? Okay, love you too."

He turned in time to see her make kissy faces at him. "What? That was just too sweet!" She waited until they entered the building before speaking again. "So... do you think that I can get a drink?"

"I think that I am going to spare them your drunken antics for a bit." He muttered before the hostess distracted him with her smile. She was a fairly short girl, with the darkest pair of green eyes that he has ever seen. While she looked a great deal like Aria, there was subtle difference in skin tone that set them apart. His eyes also floated down to her name tag which read, Alyxa.

"Welcome to Il Ridente Pedinare! How many will I be seating?" The young hostess' voice carried over the crowd yet retained it soft cheerfulness. She started to grab two menus when Desmond gave her one his heart stopping smiles (which he swears runs in the family). Rolling her eyes a bit, the hostess waited for him to answer her question.

"Actually, we are here to have lunch with Aria" he replied, noting that she wasn't being won over by it.

"Oh, you must be Desmond. And she is?" She looked over at Rebecca who was busy studying the lunch menu posted by the door.

"That would be Rebecca. She's my roommate." He motioned to the brunette woman who now found herself in a conversation with a man about her age with a computer. Looking reluctant to leave, she finally waved and walked up to Desmond. Alyxa smiled and took them the large oak staircase to their left. The upstairs dining room was surprisingly open and bright despite being full. "So… did you get his number?"

Rebecca nearly tripped over a chair, her cheeks tinting a soft pink. "Maybe. Oh? Is that her?" She quickly changed the subject as they reached the table. "Who is the guy she is talking to? Her brother, maybe?"

"Don't know, I guess we will find out."

Aria was talking to a man who appeared to be four years older. She wore her hair back in a simple reverse French braid that complemented her sky blue v neck tank top paired with a boot cut dark wash denim. His dark auburn hair shone in the natural light as he turned to the two Assassins. His stormy grey blue eyes seemed to be filled with a bit mirth and skepticism as he inspected Desmond first. His facial features were sharp, yet soften with a few small wrinkles around his eyes. He seemed to have a strange charisma; a power that the younger man couldn't place but feared and respected all the same time. The attire blended well with the staff of the restaurant, a simple black shirt and black pants, but his sleeves were rolled up to his elbows. Suddenly he started to laugh, and held out his hand. "Welcome, Welcome to The Laughing Dog!" His baritone voice threw Desmond off of his game a bit, but he quickly recovered as he clasped the hand offered to him. The hearty hand shake was followed up with a seeming brotherly smack on the shoulder. "You must be Desmond. The name is Dominic. And who must be this mouse?"

"Ah, Nice to meet you, Dominic. This is one of my roommates, Rebecca."

"Hi! Oh you must be Aria! He can't stop talking about yo… Ow." Being effectively cut off from her excitement with a gentle jab of Desmond's elbow, she looked at him with an exaggerated pout. "Butthead."

Aria laughed at the scene before her. "It is a pleasure to meet you, Rebecca. He is right about you. You really do have the energy of a teenager."

As they settled down from the initial meeting, the conversations floated over various subjects. At some point they ordered their meals, but Desmond could not help that this scene felt so familiar. Aria smiled at him while her brother and Rebecca were locked in a political debate. The scene around him seemed to fade away into a memory.

_An eight year old Ezio sat quietly, as he could, at the table as the servants laid out the feast before his family and their guests, the del Leones. Unconsciously, he brushed a piece of chocolate coloured hair from his face as he looked up into the ice blue eyes of the youngest del Leone's face. The young girl before him frowned slightly at his look, turned her attentions to the plate being placed before her. Only a year older than Ezio, she seemed so alien to him. She answered a few questions about her homeland and family, but never could bring herself to laugh. He found this event to be a little sad, but since she had only been in Firenze one day, he figured out in his mind that she must be lonely. "I will be your friend, __Luminit__a." _

_A soft blush crept across her cheeks when he said this. She was mostly alone when she was with her father in Wallachia as he trained her in the ways of the Order. Being the only daughter among a throng of boys, she never really did have a friend. Sure her brothers were there, but they were more her protectors and were often at war with the Turks. It was odd in her mind that he wanted to be her friend, but then again, it would be nice to have one. "Sounds interesting, Ezio. Let's be friends."_

Desmond felt himself lost in Aria's eyes, while memory still forced itself into his consciousness. At this point the debate between Dominic and Rebecca was being replaced with an odd tale that she has heard somewhere. The daze that his memory put him in was broken when a large plate of lasagna was placed by their waitress. The rich scent of tomatoes and roasted peppers were attempting to pull up another memory when he felt a soft leather slipper brush against his leg. Shaking his head slightly, he felt it again as he reached for a smaller plate.

"Are you alright, Desmond?" Aria's silky voice floated over to him. A small smile touched her lips as she brushed her foot against his leg again. "You seem to be distracted."

"I can't help it. I got my hyper roommate next to me, and a very beautiful woman sitting across from me." He stated simply, ignoring the brotherly glare that was warranted from Dominic. "What?"

Laughter burst forth from his lips in reply, as the elder del Leone accepted the plate that Desmond served. Rebecca ignored his insult with a smile and a sharp poke to the ribs, which almost caused him to drop the plate into her lap. He was surprised to find a plate served up by his girlfriend being placed before him as if she was a waitress. As she leaned down, she gave him a gentle kiss on the lips, which caused him to blush and sent his roommate into a fit of giggles. As she pulled away, Dominic shook his head. "That is why bedrooms were invented, little sister."

"Oh, I didn't know that." She replied feigning innocence as she sat back down. Accepting the plate from Desmond's hands, she found herself studying his face. The scar from the barroom brawl made him appear more war worn, but not older. The first time they kissed, she ran her finger gently down the jagged line, only to discover how soft his lips really were. She found herself looking to his honey coloured orbs, and sighed softly. Now she felt like a love struck teenager all over again, but this time… it felt right. Not allowing herself to become lost in her mind, she wanted to get to know at least one of his roommates. "So, Miss Crane, what do you like to do?"

"Reverse engineering Templar designs and making them better." Rebecca replied thoughtfully. "Mmmm this is amazing!" She had taken the first bite of the food on her plate. "I think that we are going to have to take some to Lucy and Shaun! Man, they are missing out!"

"Well, I am sure that my big brother can put together a to-go feast for them." She said smiling. "I will even deliver it myself and help out with the rest of the packing."

"Awesome! Just be warned though, Desmond's room is a mess. With his hoodies thrown all over the place..." Rebecca made a small rolling hand gesture, which sent Aria into giggle. "Seriously, he lives like a college kid."

"Though, your room isn't any better…" Desmond's sharp reply came out of nowhere. "I have never seen so many computer parts in one place. You could open your own store."

Dominic let out a hearty laugh, as they continued their sibling-like banter throughout the meal. They exchanged both embarrassing and exciting adventures amongst each other until dessert was finished. It had lifted the assassins' spirits in a way that they never thought possible, and now it was time to end the meal. As Rebecca and Desmond stood up, they wore honest smiles that somehow were lost along their struggles with the Templars. Dominic walked down to the kitchen while Alyxa reappeared to clear the table.

"I am going to help with getting the food packed up. I think that we are going to need a cab to go over to your warehouse." Aria's voice carried over other customers. "Sit outside for a bit, okay?"

They both nodded as they headed towards the stairs. The patio had cleared a bit since they had entered, but there were enough people to blend in. Desmond scanned the area and crowd to make sure that there no spies among them. Rebecca waited for him to sit, before she literally dropped herself into a comfortable patio chair. "Hey, Des. Whatever you do, do lose her."

"Wasn't planning on it, Becca." He replied, his eyes scanning the flow of people losing himself to his thoughts.


End file.
